[ad_1]

“I’m dressing for strength now, for myself and for people I love.”

Bukky Ojeifo, Social Entrepreneur at Hair on Purpose

“I wanted to acknowledge and honor my parents who were immigrants, and who sacrificed their lives in Nigeria to provide better opportunities for me and my siblings to succeed. Their decision to come to the U.S. was made with love, and over the last 30 years, my parents have contributed tremendously to this country. I incorporated the Nigerian flag in my photo because I remember a time when I tried to suppress my identity as a Nigerian-American; I would do things that made me 'less African,' and even desired at one point to change my name to avoid the awkward first day of school stutters and mispronunciations.

“But what I realized as I got older is that it's the cultural differences in everyone that makes this country amazing, and we as a country must continue to encourage others to be proud of their cultures, religions, and sexualities, and to speak out against hatred. I stand here as a proud Nigerian-American who loves who I am, embraces the differences in others, and truly cherishes this country.”

Jon Premosch / BuzzFeed

Marquis Neal, Social Media Influencer, Blogger, and Body-Positive Activist

“The world is pretty hectic right now; everyone I know is a little uneasy. They're concerned that the people coming into power aren't going to allow for self-expression, but that's not an option for me. I have always been very expressive, and I can't let anyone suppress that. That's what makes this outfit political for me — it's still loud, it's still my truth. It might make you wonder, 'Who is this person? Are they a man? Why are they wearing florals? Why are they wearing hoop earrings? Why are they wearing a Barbie hat with a beard? Also, they're fat.' That's a political thing, too, refusing to disappear because of that.

“We have come too far as a country, and as people, to go back. I am part of the LGBT community, I am a person of color, and I don't follow gender norms. I understand why people from minority groups are afraid now to speak out or live their truth, but I plan to continue expressing myself, to take a stand, be louder, be prouder. I, and we, are here, and nobody has the right to keep us from that expression.“

Jon Premosch / BuzzFeed

Sana Rashid, Blogger at ModHijabi

“I wanted to wear these pins and buttons because they are such an easy form of expression. I have a symbol of love; I have a crescent moon and star which is on the flag of Pakistan, where my parents are from, and is one of the symbols of my religion; I have a heart-shaped American flag; and I have the word 'respect.' Respect is so important right now — it feels like so much that's happening around and after the election wouldn't be happening if people had respect for each other. People are dehumanizing others; they think they're better than others… where we are right now in our society and our interactions is so upsetting. It feels like people are being openly racist because they're following the example of our president-elect. Hate crimes have escalated significantly, and it feels like we are going back a hundred years or more.

“The morning after the election, I was walking past an African American woman, and she gave me this nod of acknowledgment. It wasn't a 'Hi, hello' — it was an 'I feel sorry for you, and I understand what you're going through, because I'm going through the same thing.' I have never experienced that before in my life. My husband said the same thing happened to him. There was an unexpected sense of unity there, which is probably the only comforting thing about this entire election.”

Jon Premosch / BuzzFeed

---

View Entire List ›

[ad_2]